Rassie's captaincy surprise for Eden Park crunch
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Siya Kolisi has recovered from a knee strain, but will not lead the Springboks against the All Blacks in a Rugby Championship crunch match in Auckland.
Kolisi, who missed the second Test against Australia in Cape Town last month, will start at No.8 at Eden Park.
He comes in after Jean-Luc du Preez, slated to start, suffered an injury in the build-up.
Despite Kolisi’s selection, veteran centre Jessie Kriel will wear the captaincy armband.
Erasmus stuck mainly to his tried and tested combinations for their third Rugby Championship encounter.
He made only four changes to the starting team that beat the Wallabies in Cape Town, with Kriel retaining the captaincy.
“Siya was touch and go for the match earlier in the week after picking up a niggle a few weeks ago, and we didn’t want to risk him unnecessarily, but with Jean-Luc du Preez having picked up a niggle at training this week, Siya was the obvious choice to slot in at No 8,” coach Rassie Erasmus said.
“At that stage, Jesse had already been told he would be the captain, and it was only fair for us to keep things that way. He’s a great leader and one of the core players in our team. His communication with the referee and his teammates is good, and he leads by example in the way he plays, so he deserves this opportunity.
“It will also be a big occasion for him to captain the team against the All Blacks for the first time, so we are proud of Jesse, and we know he’ll carry this responsibility with great pride.”
The changes see the return of South Africa’s most experienced player, Eben Etzebeth, to the starting XV in the engine room alongside Ruan Nortje, in what will mark his 136th Test.
Two changes are in the loose trio, where Siya Kolisi returns from a niggle in what will mark his second Test at No.8, while Pieter-Steph du Toit returns at flank.
The only change in the backline is at fullback, where Willie le Roux will start his 101st Test after being forced to withdraw from the last clash against the Wallabies due to a niggle.
Erasmus made three personnel changes to the replacements bench, which features five forwards and three backs.
Jan-Hendrik Wessels takes over from Marnus van der Merwe at hooker, Kwagga Smith moves back to the bench in the void left by Etzebeth, and utility back Ethan Hooker featuring in his second Test in place of Andre Esterhuizen.
The settled squad includes a total of 17 players who featured against the Wallabies in Cape Town.
“We selected the best possible team we could for the match, knowing that this is going to be an epic encounter against the All Blacks at Eden Park, and many of these players have done the job for us before against them,” said Erasmus.
“This is obviously going to be a completely different challenge to what we’ve faced against them in the last two years, with the match being hosted in New Zealand, and also at a venue where they hold a fantastic record.
“That said, we’ve been working hard on the detail we wanted to iron out following the matches against the Wallabies since arriving in Auckland, so it’s now up to us to implement our plans and deliver a performance that we can be proud of.”
With the Test holding vast significance as the Springboks attempt to register their fifth victory in a row against the All Blacks and break their hoodoo at Eden Park – where they last won in 1937 – while the Freedom Cup is also on the line, Erasmus admitted that this match was momentous for both teams.
“The history and rivalry between the sides speaks for itself, and with all the permutations attached to this match, it makes it particularly noteworthy, so we are expecting it to be a proper grind,” said Erasmus.
“There are records on the line for both teams, and there’s no doubt that this game will be important in trying to win the competition, especially given how close the standings are at this stage. It’s definitely going to be a special match, and both teams will give everything they out there.”
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel (captain), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Canan Moodie, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Siya Kolisi, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacement: 16 Jan Hendrik Wessels, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Ethan Hooker.
Date: Saturday, September 6
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Kick-off: 19.05 (09.05 SA time; 07.05 GMT)
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO: Brett Cronan (Australia)
